QA Manager

ALPLA Group; Iowa City (IA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k) with company match

Tuition reimbursement

Career growth opportunities

Paid vacation and holidays

Life and disability insurance

Employee recognition programs

Job summary

ALPLA is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager in Iowa City to lead the site’s QA program, audits, and regulatory compliance. You will coordinate the Quality Team, drive continuous improvement, and ensure product quality and safety for internal and external customers.

The role requires a 4-year STEM degree, 5+ years QA leadership in manufacturing, and hands-on lab experience with calibration and CMMs. Strong Excel and SPC skills, cross‑functional collaboration, and customer‑facing capabilities are

Qualifications

• 4-year degree in a STEM/technical discipline or equivalent work experience.
• Experience with physical lab testing equipment and CMM preferred.
• 5+ years in QA with leadership in manufacturing and customer engagement.
• Proficient with Excel, SPC software, Word and PowerPoint.
• Strong statistical knowledge and cross-functional collaboration.
• Ability to manage customer relations and multi-task in a production setting.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and supervise IMS activities at the manufacturing site to ensure product meets expectations.
• Assist the site leader with quality-related communications to customers.
• Promote quality and continuous improvement mindset within the operation.
• Lead audits and ensure compliance with ISO 9001, FSSC 22000 and other standards.
• Oversee plant quality control and documentation systems and data integrity.
• Manage the Quality Team and drive training and performance evaluations.
• Serve as primary contact for customer relations and complaint handling.

Skills

Quality Assurance

Leadership

Auditing

Regulatory Compliance

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

Excel

SPC software

CMM

Job description

Description

What You Can Expect from ALPLA

• Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) with company match
• Childcare and dependent care savings programs
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Company-paid life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance
• Tuition reimbursement and educational assistance programs
• Career growth and advancement opportunities
• Employee recognition programs
• Hands‑on training and professional development
• A stable, growing company committed to sustainability

What Will You Enjoy Doing

Coordinate and supervise all integrated management system (IMS) activities at the manufacturing site to ensure product meets internal, customer and regulatory expectations in a plant with low equipment complexity and/or line count. Responsible for assisting the site responsible leader (Plant Manager or Operations Manager) with quality‑related communication to internal and external customers. Responsible for promoting quality and continuous improvement mind set within the operation.

Quality System

• Serves as lead auditor and primary audit contact for the site; prepares and successfully completes internal and external quality and/or food safety audits
• Ensures compliance with all quality management system requirements (ISO 9001, FSSC 22000 and other standards as required)
• Primary practitioner for HACCP and/or other product safety risk mitigation programs; supports any additional risk assessment requirements including change management
• Monthly reporting of quality and food safety system data per documented corporate procedures locally as well as regionally as required; uses this data along with IMS audit results to drive improvement activities
• Primary local contact for the document management system; assist in optimizing and standardizing plant quality documentation

Quality Control

• Ensure production compliance with all regulatory, internal and customer product and packaging specifications; ensures customer specifications are current and
  accessible
• Ensure customer mandated compliance documents are issued (i.e. COAs, other customer mandated documentation)
• Assist operations in new product (AQP) and equipment qualification and verification activities
• Documents and reports all supplier quality related issues per standard procedures; supports Logistics team on securing complaint resolution
• Oversite responsibility for plant quality control program including test equipment operation/calibration/verification, product testing, data collection, data integrity and
  rework management.
• Ensures all personnel performing quality testing on the production floor are trained and qualified; either through direct oversight or in support of the Quality Supervisor where the role exists (and responsibility is so delegated).

Laboratory Oversite

• Ensures all personnel performing quality testing within the quality lab are trained and qualified; either through direct oversight or in support of the Quality Supervisor where the role exists (and responsibility is so delegated).
• Leading the Quality Team
  • Regularly scheduled quality staff meeting
  • Ensures team works together as efficiently as possible
  • Assess training needs of staff and ensures execution of training
• Managing the Quality Team
• Ensuring the following tasks are completed either through direct oversite or in support of the Quality Supervisor where the role exists (and responsibility is so delegated).
  • Ensures correctly time and attendance of team is captured
  • Recruits (with HR support) new employees
  • Performs disciplinary actions
  • Performs annual performance evaluations

Customer Relationship Management

• Hosts periodic customer visits, primary contact for quality and regulatory related communications with customers
• Manages customer complaint process including application of proper RCA techniques and tools. Ensures customer complaints are captured in global/regional/local reporting systems
• Supports the RCA process and training for other departments in the plant

Performance Metrics:

Performance is evaluated based on the effectiveness of the site Quality Management System and Quality Control program in meeting internal standards as well as customer and regulatory requirements. Additional considerations include audit performance and effective leadership of the site quality team. Emphasis is placed on maintaining a compliant, reliable quality system and effective customer relationship management.

KPIs include but are not limited to:

• Successful completion of internal, customer, and certification audits; including timely closure of findings
• Customer complaint performance, including severity, recurrence, RCA quality and closure timeliness
• Effectiveness of the site quality control program, including data integrity, calibration compliance and rework management
• Timeliness and accuracy of required quality and food safety reporting
• Training and qualification status of quality personnel and overall quality team effectiveness
• Directs Work
• Develops Talent
• Nimble Learning
• Plans and Aligns
• Manages Conflict
• Customer Focus
• Builds Effective Teams

What Makes You Great

Qualifications and Requirements:

• 4-year degree in a STEM/technical discipline or equivalent work experience required
• Experience with physical lab testing equipment, calipers, scales, digital height gauge and compression force testing equipment; experience with Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) preferred.
• At least 5 years of work experience in Quality Assurance combined with a demonstrated track‑record of accomplishments as a QA Manager, preferably in a high‑speed manufacturing environment with significant customer engagement experience
• Proficient with Excel, SPC software, Word, PowerPoint
• Intermediate to advanced statistical knowledge
• Ability to work well with other departments
• Ability to manage Customer Relations
• Able to handle multi‑task environment with excellent organizational skills

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job: The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms and very occasionally to climb or balance.

• The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and talk or hear.
• The employee is occasionally required to sit.
• The employee must regularly lift and/ or move up to 10 lbs., frequently lift

It is required to act in a safe and environmentally responsible manner at all times by adhering to all ALPLA policies and procedures and Safety Standards (OSHA).

ALPLA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Prohibits Discrimination and Harassment of Any Kind: ALPLA is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at ALPLA are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. ALPLA will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.